Great pictures!
On Sat, May 30, 2020, 9:14 PM <juliekazz@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi,
Things have been busy at DGAP as Bob Harris and I have made 5 canoe
outings this season monitoring the Prothonotary boxes. Weather has been
interesting. A very cool and wet spring for sure. Yesterday was our first
taste of humidity with some distant thunder making for quick work. Much of
our time has been replacing worn out nest boxes...soon to be moving on to
installing missing pole/box combinations. Big thanks go out to George
Scarborough for his speedy work of crafting 20 beautiful boxes. Also much
appreciation to Girl Scout Troop 891 of Chester for their wonderful
contribution of 10 handmade boxes. There are other folks taking to the
workshop making more boxes for the birds. Looking forward to installing
those. Thank you.
Lots of wildlife in the lagoon and old river channel (ORC), Yesterday was
a first when an otter slipped into the water giving us a little start with
the unexpected size of the critter. Carp are spawning and lots of fish are
leaping all over the place. It has been a productive year for snakes. We
are swatting Osprey and Bald Eagles out of our faces as well as the prized
Prothonotary warbler.
As of yesterday we have banded 94 nestlings (a low number for us) and
netted 60 adult females. I would say 80% or more of the females netted are
recaptures. This is very rewarding knowing these birds survived the
migration to Central or South America only to turn around and fly back to
Dutch Gap. Of the recaps, we have netted birds ranging from 2-7 years old.
Most of the unbanded ladies we have netted are second year (SY) birds,
meaning they were born last year. Most likely they were born at Dutch
Gap....I'll go out on the proverbial limb with that hypothesis.
Attaching photos of some of the things we've encountered.
Many thanks to all for your support.
Nature certainly has a way of making things better.
Best,
JulieKacmarcik
Chester
